Never posted this on this site... didn't want to until I actually got a tablet to make the cover, buuut I wanted to upload this just 'cause.
So... yeah.
"One never learns how the witch became wicked, or whether that was the right choice for her - is it ever the right choice? Does the devil ever struggle to be good again, or if so is he not a devil?" -Gregory Maguire, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
What makes a cat evil? Are they born so, or made that way by the badness around them?
Is it simply passed down, thrust into their veins like the urge to fight, or heal others? Or is it beaten into them, through bad mentors, harsh words, and cruel denmates?
But what makes a cat good? Surely they aren't born that way; do they simply choose to be good? Do they fight through the temptations that are thrust towards them?
"Poor thing," a distant mew filled the thick silence.
"His father's a killer, his mother left him to become a rogue, it's no wonder his name is Lostkit." Another replied.
"Hush, Sweetflower! He's going to open his eyes soon, and I don't want the first thing he sees to be your accusing stare!" Another hissed.
Killer? What's a killer?
"Oh, look at him," a gentle tongue ran along the back of a young kit's neck. "He's so tiny."
The small black kit wriggled in his adopted mother's paws, snuggling further into her warm gray fur.
"Look at that white ring on his tail," noted one of the other queens huddled in the nursery.
"Very unusual." The third she-cat mewed softly.
"I like it," Stormtail purred. "It makes him unique."
"Mama, when will he open his eyes?" A small white she-kit with a gray tail asked Sweetflower.
The brown tabby looked down at her kit fondly. "I'm not sure, Frostkit."
"I opened my eyes already!" A yellow tabby kit announced proudly, nudging his little brother.
"Maybe he's shy!" Suggested a tiny gray kit.
"He'll open them when he's ready, Lionkit and Heartkit." Stormtail purred to her kits.
I'm not ready, Lostkit decided, allowing himself to doze off into a deep slumber.
Blurry images became clear as green eyes opened for the first time. They looked around the small nursery and settled upon two sleeping forms. By their scents, the kit instantly knew they were his littermates.
A gentle nudge stirred the two other kits.
"Lostkit?" Lionkit mewed groggily.
"Your eyes are open!" Heartkit purred.
"What's out there?" Lostkit questioned, motioning towards the bright light at the end of the nursery.
"The rest of the camp, silly!" Heartkit stood and stretched.
"Can we go there?" Lostkit wondered.
"Of course! Mom said we could go as soon as you opened your eyes!"
"Took you long enough," Lionkit teased gently.
The three bounded towards the light, but were blocked by a large orange shape.
"Where do you three think you're going?" A she-cat with a large belly asked.
"To the camp!" Lostkit mewed.
The she-cat's eyes widened. "You've opened your eyes! Oh, your mother will be so proud! Stormtail, wake up!"
The gray Queen sighed groggily and sat up. "What is it, Iceheart?"
"Lostkit's opened his eyes!"
Stormtail stretched onto her feet and padded to her adopted kit.
Lostkit peered up at her, his green eyes bright with excitement.
"Where do you think you're going?" Stormtail purred.
"Outside," Lionkit answered proudly.
Stormtail sighed. "Alright, I suppose you have to meet the Clan some day. Come here, I want you to look your best when you meet them."
She groomed her three kits before following them out of the nursery and into the camp, where they all pounced into the bright morning sun.
"Lostkit!" A gentle voice mewed, and the small tom turned to it. "It's me, Frostkit!"
"H-Hello," Lostkit greeted shyly.
"C'mon, I'll show you guys around the camp!" The excited she-kit began to prance away, Lionkit, Heartkit, and Lostkit at her paws.
"This is the Foxstar's Den," Frostkit explained as the four stopped in front of a large oak tree. "It's where he calls for Clan Meetings, too!"
"Hello, little ones," a white calico she-cat with a dark red tail greeted. Her yellow eyes flicked to Lostkit uneasily.
"Hello, Foxstar!" Frostkit continued to lead the other kits across the camp.
She lead them to two large rocks leaning against each other, forming a cave-like entrance.
"This is Willowleaf and Ivywing's den. They take care of sick, injured cats."
A petite yellow she-cat padded out of the entrance with a bundle of leaves in her mouth. She dipped her head in greeting to the kits before walking passed them.
"That's Ivywing. She's Willowleaf's apprentice." Frostkit mewed before moving on. "Over there is the apprentices' den, where I'll be in five moons and you'll be in six! Next to it is the warriors' den, and between the entrance and the nursery is the elders' den! Let's go see if Cloudwhisker has any stories for us!"
The four of them bounded towards the elders' den, where a brown tabby she-cat with gray around her muzzle sat.
"Hello, Cloudwhisker!" Frostkit purred.
"Good morning, Frostkit! Who's this?" The old she-cat looked at the three younger kits.
"That's Lionkit, Heartkit, and Lostkit!" Frostkit settled down beside Lostkit.
"Lostkit, eh?" Her green eyes turned cold for a moment, but she sighed and shook her head. "What'll it be today, Frostkit?"
"A story about the Warrior Code, please!" The white kit begged.
"Alright, alright. How about 'an honorable warrior does not need to kill other cats to win his or her battles, unless they are outside the warrior code or it is necessary for self-defense'?"
"Yeah!" The kits mewled.
So... yep.
I dunno.
If my dA starts working, I'll include it in a later chapter so you can look at my crappy pictures of what the characters look like.
~thanks for reading~